ROOTS
by Blair Hunter
Summary: Set four years after Breaking Dawn. Discover the origins and history of vampirism and secrets that break hearts and tear families apart. Love, hate, vengeance, magic.
1. Preface

**Preface**

In death, all are equal. Whatever the means, the end is the same - you will cease to exist. Causes of death, on the other hand, vary substantially. But isn't dying for the reasons you exist the best way to go? When it is the only means you know of defending them, won't you freely give your life?

I have been convincing myself that I regret nothing - nothing that led me to this situation, my death. I am ready to face my end, but I can't erase the nagging feeling at the back of my head that there is something I will lament over, if it were possible to feel in my afterlife - if there was one.

Chasing those who threaten the ones I am willing to die for is nothing. I will run after them to all the corners of the world to make sure they can't ever torment my loved ones again. Bravery is not a question. But now that I'm faced with death as inevitable as the looming war, I am forced to rethink. Will they finally be safe if I die for them?

As I ran, I saw one of my allies being simultaneously attacked by three of our enemies. I knew that this will not end until I get to my prey but when the fight broke a little, I saw who was getting mobbed and I instantly forgot my goal. I dashed to help him although I was sure he did not need my assistance. But I can't just let him fight alone.

When I got closer, I saw that he was actually struggling even when his movements were as fast as lightning. The ancients he fought were not inexperienced unlike their younger accomplices. And there were three of them.

The ancients looked at my direction when I was close enough to be heard amidst the bedlam.

"Two choices: leave or die." I told them calmly across two hundred yards.

The fight immediately stopped. They knew they were in the match nearest where my voice came from. The ancients turned and faced me instead, all in offensive, calculating stance.

"So be it."

My heart started to beat faster than before. Dread and excitement were coupled with relief. _Come on, come and get _me_._

As my three adversaries sauntered towards where I stood, their previous target spoke weakly, transfixed and shaking his head slowly. "Don't."

I just smiled at him as an answer, my eyes blinded by tears.

He is the reason that I live. He is more than welcome to be the reason that I die.


	2. Chapter 1 The Strangers

**The Strangers**

_I wildly looked for the source of the sound that pierced the still night. Most of the people (although calling them merely _people _may not be appropriate) I knew would not be harmed in any way by a gun shot, it still sent chills that had nothing to do with temperature through my body. Only humans could be bothered by something as trivial as the _cold_._

_But it was the dead of the night. Humans in general are asleep during this time._

_I was torn between sticking to my original path and objective and checking out where that gun fire came from - and for what. I knew that it would be a mistake to change my course, but I somehow felt I needed to investigate the source of the gunfire. After a moment's deliberation, curiosity got the better of me, so I followed the direction of the shot. Just a couple of miles east of where I was heading. I turned to my right then dashed forward at full tilt._

_Somehow I felt a twinge of panic as I darted through the dark alleys. In my peripheral vision, I thought I saw three men watching me through a window of one of the run down buildings. Odd._

_I was only a quarter of a mile away when I heard it - a very weak, low moan. Now that I was closer, I was able to catch the person's familiar scent in the air... and his blood! I rushed toward the person who I knew for sure was bleeding to death now. He's just six more leaps away. One, two, three, four..._

"_Alex_," a melodic but urgent voice I was relieved to hear called me from the dream that was quickly turning into a nightmare. "Are you okay?"

I didn't open my eyes at once as I tried to remember the important things in my dream: a quarry, three watching men, dark alleys, a bleeding man. I tried to remember who the bleeding man was but I was coming up short. I was sure I knew the man but now, I am not as convinced - he may be someone I still haven't met. But I stopped recalling the bleeding man. I could still remember the taste of his blood in my throat.

When I opened my eyes, I was so prepared to see Max and be relaxed but then I saw the time on the grandfather's clock at the foot of my bed.

"Oh, _shoot_!" I cried, rather shrilly. I think that was how I would have screamed if my dream had not been cut short.

"What?" Max crouched, looking for the cause of the alarm.

_It's half past eight!_ "We're going to be late, Max!"

Max turned his head to the grandfather's clock, too, then chuckled. _Oh_, he looked at me with worried eyes, though he was still smiling. "We'll just have to run, then."

Max shook his head, _I thought something was wrong. You should stop doing that, you know - surprising me. I could still have a heart attack. _He sighed then said, "Were you having a bad dream?"

"I... I dunno, it was cut." _Which was a good thing, thanks._ I have to lie.

Max smiled, warmer this time. He was coming closer to sit next to me but I couldn't risk skin contact - he would be able to see the images in my dream, the unvoiced worries in my head, and he would just worry, too.

I was out of the bed in less than a second. I shot through the closet and grabbed a red blouse and a pair of jeans.

"How's the weather?" I asked as I slipped into my jeans. I snatched my favorite leather jacket (with a hood with furry edges) propped on a chair just outside my closet. I then gathered my school stuff on my overly organized table. "Will we need more _props_?"

Max snorted when I said the word props. He knows I never liked wearing layers of clothes - it just feels uncomfortable and unnecessary. We can withstand temperatures way below and above the normal. But he can't help but be exasperated at how I feel about it.

Max was by my window in less than a heartbeat. He slid my curtains aside to show me the crystals still shimmering on the sill. It rained overnight.

He nodded. I sighed.

"Take a thick scarf or a pair of gloves with you. Your leather boots and a cap won't hurt, too." He eyed me for a while then said, "You'll look even better, your clothes will match."

I laughed.

"Max." I rushed to hug him, and kiss him on both cheeks.

"Stop it, Alex. I thought you're worried we'll be late?" He said dismissively but his smile was smug.

"I love you, too." I smiled the sweetest one I could muster.

Breakfast was ready when we went down to the dining room.

"Hmm, _interesting_," I said, throwing a furtive glance at Max.

"Just eat, Alex." He said, shaking his head.

On my side of the table across Max's clean side was a plate of rare steak and a glass of the sticky, red liquid that we needed above all.

Max caught me staring at the glassful of blood.

"Deer," he answered my mind's question. I was sniffing the air to find out which animal lost this blood.

But this was just a replacement of the blood we really need. Most of our friends (who are the normal ones; we're just half of what they are and more) hunt and feed the usual way. They fail to see the difference or the similarity between hunted humans and donated blood. They are even perplexed at how we could stomach animal blood.

"Would you like more or something _else_?"

Something else meant human blood. But a lot of things have changed in the last couple of millennia, including the way we acquire the essential part of our diet.

"More, I think." I replied, "We'll have a class at the dark room later, I might not be able to control myself and -" I joked, roaring and snapping at an invisible creature. We laughed then I continued in a more serious tone, "When did you hunt, anyway? I thought we're out of fresh food?"

"This morning. I got up very early so I just hunted." Max answered as he prepared his bag for school. He was wearing identical leather boots and jacket as mine, although minus the fur on the hood's edges.

We became quiet for a while. He happened to glance at me after a minute while I was playing with my steak and shooting daggers at my drink.

"Eat." Max ordered.

_Oh, I can't believe you just did that!_

_Sorry, haha._

_Ugh._

I quickly sat down and started cutting the steak following Max's direct order. After I swallowed my first bite, I was able to speak again.

I asked, "Where are we going after graduation?"

Max and I are both seniors at Parker High School. We had all classes together. We're practically inseparable - except restroom breaks. I will never be separated from Max again. The first time had been nothing but a nightmare. Though the one - only - thing I liked about the temporary division was the reunion. The sweetest thing.

"You could go to college again if you want, but I won't - I'm taking a break. Maybe I'd just look for another job - again." _Job,_ Max rolled his eyes at his own thoughts. "Or I think I have a good place in mind we could stay for another couple years. And without going to school." He grinned.

_Where?_ I asked Max, my mouth full with the deer meat.

"Somewhere in Europe. That's the last place they would think of looking for us because it's near one of their havens." Max sighed, then continued with a snarl, "I hope they would just grow tired!"

Uh-oh. Max is getting angry again, which is never good. I have to divert his attention or.. I mentally winced at the thought of what would happen to our beautiful house if he'd have a rage

"You know, sometimes, I think we blend in too much that humans seem to not realize that they are in danger from us. They even want to be with us." I said. Taking in Max's too normal apparel, which was the first thing that popped in my head, I added, "Look at you. You're wearing that Green Day shirt. No one will suspect what we are because well, we look like them. Stunningly beautiful, but normal."

He was shocked at my statement. His rage ebbed away immediately. _That bad, huh?_ Max snorted. "Sorry, I'll behave now, Alex."

I gave him a tight smile. I understand how Max feels. I also wish they would stop looking for us and let us be. It's been an endless running. Not that we won't be able to protect ourselves, but we don't want to start something that would end only when we are dead. If they never find us, we wound not have a reason to kill them all, even for revenge.

Max and I like to think that we've been successful in changing ourselves. We used to be the ones hunting them down, but letting their few weaker warriors to live. We have diminished their number to less than twenty in our last encounter. But over the past five millennia, we got tired of the _lifestyle._ It finally got to us - fighting, fighting, fighting. We wanted to live peacefully, just like Anastasia would have wanted.

I sighed. "I hope we could just stay in a place where no one would mind if we never age." I think this human thing is really rubbing off.

"You know we can't do that." He frowned. _Everyone near us will get hurt once_ they _have a go at us again... By them, worse, by_ us_._

We stared at each other for a long second, and then burst out laughing.

"I can't believe that we're starting to really care about stupid humans. Ugh."

"We have been doomed to it, Max. We've been living with their race for..." _How long?_

_Since the dawn of time_, Max answered my musings.

I sighed again. "Let's go?" I said, putting down the now empty glass. I gathered my dining stuff and shoved them into the dishwasher.

"Let's."

We arrived at school five minutes before the bell was due to ring. We ran, as Max had suggested. We passed through the forest that surrounded the city, racing each other. We could have driven, of course, but we were ever so careful to attract attention so much as a ticket for speeding. At least when we run, even if we're faster than our car, no one sees us in the woods.

"No sweat." _Hahaha_, Max laughed mentally, his black hair wind-swept. "Didn't beat our record, though."

"_Come on_," I urged. It seemed Max would like another round of racing.

Then it happened. It was as sudden as seeing a lightning strike. The scent knocked the air out of me.

They were driving fast. A couple of miles. Suddenly, my muscles tensed and I instinctively looked at Max. He mirrored the horrified expression I had.

_No_. Not here, not _now_.

Max inhaled deeply then cursed under his breath. "Four?"

"_Easy_," I told Max. I put a restraining hand on his shoulder.

He must have thought that I meant that we could easily take the four enemies out because he grinned then started flexing his hands, ready for a fight.

The silver Volvo stopped at the nearest vacant space, just a few feet from the campus gates. The strangers' car was at almost equal distance as where Max and I froze from the school entrance.

I shot Max a cautious look. We need to communicate through telepathy because the four will be able to hear us if we spoke, even in a whisper.

_No, Max. They're not aware of us. Not yet, at least. They will if you don't -_

_Relax?_

I let out a nervous mental laugh. _Yes. Act natural - er, I mean, human._

Max let out a booming laugh that made me jump.

When they got out of the car, only one of them was looking at us. But when the others saw the thoughtful look on the male's face, they also looked in our direction. They were all very young - at least in appearance. No older than twenty. Two males, two females.

_Perfect... Just what we needed, they're checking us out, Max!_

Max ignored my growls_. Mates?_

_Probably._

_Damn, they're looking at us like crazy. Careful,_ Max growled in his head_._

I wanted to point out to him that he should be telling that to himself but then one of the strangers spoke.

_"What is it, Edward?"_ Asked the female in a blue blouse under a thick jacket_. Props._

_"Nothing,"_ the one called Edward replied, his brows pulled to a frown.

I felt sting in my head that ended as suddenly as it started. It was the same pain I felt whenever I am targeted by special abilities.

Without a warning, I was able to hear a hundred voices at once - all in my head. I felt like I was being swarmed by thousands of bees. My vision swirled.

I felt Max's hand grab my elbow.

_Are you okay?_ Max asked.

I nodded, then averted my eyes at the one called Edward. I also cast a sweeping look at the school grounds. Everything happened within just a few seconds. Not one human seemed to notice.

_Max, let's _go. I gripped his forearm then started dragging him towards the school entrance.

_Why the hell are they here? Do you think - _

_I don't know. They may or may not be here for us._

Max snorted. _Why else would vampires be where we are? _Coincidence?

He had a point, of course. We make make it a point to research that a place has not been _infested_ by vampires before we decide to settle there.

Coincidence is likely, but may be equally improbable. But haven't we just talked about wanting not to be found? They may have someone who could detect others by being alerted when the object thought of the trackers. Would they employ vampires to look for us? Aren't they as furious at their existence as ours?

Max, _let's_ go. I told him again, more urgent and forceful this time but not quite like the unbreakable commanding tone of Max. My head felt like it was going to split in half at any moment and it was all I could do to stay focused, and ignore the buzzing thoughts that weren't mine.

We were past the school grounds now and nearer the entrance to the main building. I was hard put to drag Max because he was still staring at the frozen vampires. They were still by their car, as I can see through Max's vision - bloody vision. Max was thinking how best to obliterate the vampires, sifting through his memory of every vampire we have destroyed.

I stopped and shoved Max to a corner.

_Max, _I waited for him to look at me before I continued. Max stared at me, mutinous. _I will not fight while we are in school. Get familiar with their scent and then we will come after them_ later_. Maybe we won't even need to track them. If they _are _here for us, they will come looking for us._

_And if they attack? _He clenched his jaws.

I looked around. Over a dozen students were still in the school grounds, scrambling to get to their first periods in time - thinking of the excuses they would tell their teachers should they be - oblivious to the imminent massacre. Will they make it inside the building, into safety, before the vampires attacked? Will we be able to save those who will be left?

I looked back to the vampires. We were at least two hundred yards away from where they were. The last handful of students ran past us, shooting us puzzled looks, and headed to their respective classes.

I was resolved. To hell with secrecy. They tracked us here, they will die here. If humans saw us destroying these hell-bound vampires, so be it. We'll just become another couple of fugitive murderers to them, anyway. Humans have no hope of ever catching us.

_Then, and only then, will we fight back._

Edward cleared his throat.

I paid no attention to him or to the other vampires, a growl bubbling in my throat. But almost instantly, I released my grip on Max's arm, realizing something. I chanced a glance at the vampires, and I focused on Edward's skill. The small, pixie-like vampire was questioning Edward about his strange behavior, but only in her mind. She noticed that Edward wouldn't answer their spoken questions. She knows her _brother _so much, and she was convinced that something was wrong.

Hang on. If I could read her thoughts from across this distance, Edward can surely read my mind now.

Alarmed, I tugged Max inside and to the exit toward the building where we will have our first period again; but this time with my full force. Max was so shocked that I had resorted to use my maximum strength that I was able to pull him without any opposition at all.

"_Wait_ - " Edward started to say, but we were already half-way to our first period's building and I had no interest in knowing if it was us he was talking to.

I dragged Max all the way to our home room. We were the last to arrive, all of our classmates were already seated and settled. And as usual, even when we're not supposed to be the center of attention, all eyes were turned to us.

Mrs. Lautner, our English teacher looked up to smile, and acknowledge our arrival. She was arranging her lesson plans on top of her table.

"Sorry, Mrs. Lautner. Car problem." Max said, grinning sheepishly. He said this in a confident and convincing way that Mrs. Lautner believed that he was telling the truth. Or it may be because it was Max who spoke them.

She has always been fond of Max but when she saw Max smile, and after I saw Mrs. Lautner's sweet memories of a laughing teenager, I realize that she has a nephew who talks and laughs just like Max does.

"It's all right, Mr. Hunter, I've just arrived myself," replied our middle-aged teacher.

A couple of low snorts meant that she has been in the room for at least ten minutes, even without me reading our classmates' minds.

"Are you feeling well, Ms. Chase?"

"Oh, yes, I am. Just a little tired, I think." I smiled, almost apologetically. I have never been addressed by Mrs. Lautner like this and I could see how I looked like through her eyes. I looked horrible - like I've seen someone get murdered. Well, I almost did, not just one but a number of kids.

"All right, please take your seats - we'll be starting in a few moments."

It was Max who dragged me (although he was trying to maneuver me as lightly as he can) to our usual seats this time. I could clearly hear our classmates' thoughts while we were walking towards the back of the room. Some were more distinct than others, and some where just garbled musings they were not hard to ignore.

_Aww... It's really here. School is starting again - officially. Where have all the summer days gone? I barely got a tan.. _Grunt. Earl Knight raved.

Earl has always been in good terms with Max and I, but he was so distracted, he did not even give us a second glance.

_Late? What is it this time, can't tell which shirt is whom? _Luke Martin's thought.

Sigh_. I thought she was sick. I saw her fall, good thing Max caught her in time. _Josh Fleinhardt mused.

Josh has been in our English and History classes since junior high, the only other student who knows enough about these subjects aside from me and Kylie Masen. He has always been kind to Max and I but I was surprised that he was more concerned than he seemed.

_Huh, look at that freak. _I did not need to look around to know who thought about that.

_She's like in shock. Oh, maybe they're fighting. _Smirk. _Don't worry, Maxie, I'll be here when that - ugh _(she rolled her eyes) _- disappears. _Janice Storm, who has had a crush on Max since we had ninth grade PE with her, thought darkly, and _loudly_. Her thoughts are not new to me. I've caught her and her "in" cheerleader friends a couple of times talking about me in the girls' washroom. One day, she'll get in trouble. I grinned at her.

She started. Her mind became blank for a fraction of a second. _Fear._ When she recovered, she smiled and thought, _Freak!_

_Dammit, first period is _Math? _And they expect us to pay attention? _Groan.

Hold on, was that Jiro Wang?

My eyes grew large - larger than what it already is, according to Janice Storm. I can hear every single thought of the kids in our room... and outside?

Way outside. I realized that when I focused and tuned the ability well, I could hear hundreds of non-curricular daydreaming and a handful of attentive thoughts of students taking notes of their teachers' first day lecture in our building and the others nearest ours.

This is crazy.

And amazing! This is probably the best skill I have ever copied. And would have been the next best to absorbing Max's ability, but for some weird reason, however countless times Max applies his gift on me, I can't reuse it.

We even experimented once, a very long time ago. Max wanted me to do something (I can't recall what exactly) but I refused. He had to use his ability on me to have that task done, and it was the first time he had ever given me an unbreakable command. Being hard-headed as I am, I tried to copy his ability to give him the same order. But I couldn't control him. After that, I thought of Max applying the order on me deliberately so that I could try to copy his skill. He was reluctant at first, but he agreed in the end when he realized that nothing's happening, Max ordering me at least a hundred times. But I failed a hundred times as well.

When we reached our seats, we shook our jackets off and rolled up the sleeves of our shirts in perfect synchronization. I can't help but grin at the awed looks of those who watched us, though Max noticed nothing.

Mrs. Lautner started the roll call. It was _cute _how she thinks of her students. When she called a name, she would also attach a small description like "one with a deep dimple", "the girl that handed me my fallen things last year" or "that noisy but brilliant kid". When he called Max, she added "the older Mickey" and when it was me, she said "sweet, shy smiles".

I have always liked Mrs. Lautner. She may be the kindest teacher in this school. But now, I have warmed to her more.

It was a good thing that the vampires appear to have rethought their strategy to get to us. I would not want people like Mrs. Lautner, Josh Fleinhardt or Earl Knight get hurt because of our mere presence here. I will not let them near this school again. They will not see the sun rise at dawn - or set at dusk.

Max touched my arm exactly when I finally decided on tracking that Edward and his accomplices after third period. I planned on skipping the after lunch classes.

_They will not harm anyone here. We will not let _them_. Don't worry too much, we'll get through this, too - together._

_Yes, I know. Come what may._

It's just that it's been more than half a century that we fought our last battle with vampires. And the five vampires we destroyed were not gifted like Edward. This may be, not difficult, but tricky. And I do not like the way the other male vampire looked like. He had scars on his face and neck, not visible to human eyes. Not at all ordinary when you are a vampire. And I know for a fact that only vampire's venom could leave scars on vampire skin. He may be an experienced fighter.

"Here," I lazily said, as Mrs. Lautner read my name.

I continued to think of the best tactics we've done in slaying vampires. We've faced vampires countless times and we're always walked away barely needing to catch our breath. I have gone about replaying a couple of vampire episodes in our life for two seconds when I realized that the whole room went quiet after I spoke.

I looked at Max. _What did I miss?_

He hesitated for a quarter of a second then answered, _Well, Mrs. Lautner hasn't called you yet. Not out loud, at least._

My mouth shaped a small "O". Then I smiled sheepishly at Mrs. Lautner. I knew she hated interruptions during class and hoped she won't get annoyed at me.

"Sorry, Mrs. Lautner. I'm just used to being called next to Lisa."

"It's all right, Ms. Chase. At least I know you are _here_." She looked at Casey Walker who was doodling on his binder. He did not seem to have noticed the embarrassing exchange.

I laughed nervously.

_Freak, _Janice Storm again with a smirk.

Mrs. Lautner shook her head infinitesimally, then continued calling out students' names.

Dammit. I need to identify the quality and volume of the thought statement and differentiate it from spoken words. And fast. I can't go on answering people's thoughts. I'd become a freak to _the_ ultimate freak for sure.

I tried to focus on Mrs. Lautner's first day lecture. Most of the period went to discussing the coverage of the subject and the tasks we should expect to have.

It was fun and annoying to listen to my classmates' thoughts. Most of their minds are on their crushes, lunch, final subject and quite surprisingly Max and I. Fun is when they would read and interpret Max and I's every movement while shooting us glances that they thought were supposed to be missed. Some even wonder what it meant when one of us would touch the other's hand or arm, a brief glance exchanged, just to turn our heads away. They knew that it had to be something, but of course, who would have thought that we were talking in our heads, reading the other's thoughts and feeling the other's emotions, right? But annoying is when people like Janice Storm would twist my body language and statements, like when I answered Mrs. Lautner's question about the best things about the previous summer.

Well, nothing that happened this summer may be considered good. One may even well be one of the worst and saddest moment of our existence. We actually went to Burbank, California to visit a human friend we haven't seen in fifteen years. She was pregnant with her son, Charlie, when we last saw her. We met Sonia in England when Max and I went to high school with her in nineteen-ninety. She married an American straight off from high school, and they moved to Burbank. Sonia was one of the very few (just three, to be exact) who were human and knew what we were - and accepted us. But when Max and I got there, we arrived just in time for her funeral. It felt ironic that what linked Sonia's life to us is death. We got closer to her when her mother died in eighth grade. Our last visit was when her husband died fifteen years earlier. Now, it was her funeral that we attended.

She had a kept a diary of her life, and a number of pages were dedicated to Max and I. Charlie seemed to have been expecting a visit from Max and I. When we arrived at their doorstep, he handed me a picture of his mother, Max and I by the fountain of the school grounds that Sonia has treasured all these years to show that he knows. Charlie may not have been convinced of his mother's tales - bedtime stories about us when he was younger - which he thought to be just fabricated, but when he saw how Max and I had not changed at all since the picture was taken, he'd had no choice but to believe. I was relived that Charlie had accepted the truth about us and still promised to keep the secret the way his mother did. He cried a lot when he told us that he felt stupid that he thought his mother had gone crazy during the last hours of her life by telling him that the bedtime stories were real.

But where was the good in that? So, I lied for the sake of a good answer but I played with what really happened. I reported that we went to Burbank to visit a friend - who was Charlie now, instead of Sonia. It was true that we brought Charlie to our dormitory in England the day after Sonia was cremated, so I mentioned the trip. I was aware that I smiled when I mentioned that Charlie had been so happy when we arrived in England to see where his mother had gone to high school, but I was sure that my facial reactions were not supposed to suggest that I was in love with him. And what was ludicrous was that most of those who thought that there was something between Charlie and I, also thought that it was weird that Max had allowed my _infidelity_ and not killed Charlie or me (at least figuratively).

Some of my classmates' thoughts were not just annoying but also distracting. I have never retaliated when it came to word wars, snide comments or dumb opinions, but it was entirely different when I don't even have the right to react because the words were not spoken aloud.

_If she has this Charlie, she should have just stayed there and left Max alone here. Well, he won't be alone - he'll have _me_. _Janice Storm couldn't help but grimace that I chose to stay with Max.

Like I have another choice. Even if I had been presented another choice, I doubt that I will want to be away from Max. Humans would never understand the depth of the ties strengthened by time - a lot of time. Ten thousand years to be exact in approximation.

I began to wonder about the vampires we saw earlier. How old are they? It would show on the shade of their skin, and the intensity of their scent. This is not something that vampires can identify, but we aren't like them. We are more than vampires.

And I should have paid more attention to them earlier. I should have checked how they reacted to us - what their thoughts were. That Edward is able to hear thoughts - what did he think about us? How would he tell them to proceed now that I have his skill?

Were Max and I the only ones who saw them?

Mrs. Lautner was writing something on the board. I can feel a homework on the way. All the other students, grudgingly or resignedly, copied the lecture, feeling the same way. No one would notice our silent communication.

I touched Max's arm to tell him what I was going to do. I needed contact with him so that I'd somehow still be aware of what's happening in our class. But it would attract unwanted attention if we held hands while in class so he kicked his right boot off while I was pulling off my left sock. It was good because he will also know what I'm thinking in real time – no need to retell my thoughts later. It was good, too, that we always sit at the back of the room.

I started sifting through the minds of the people in the rooms around ours. Not one of them saw the pale skinned strangers in the school grounds. Neither did any of those in any of the classes in our building, students or teachers alike.

I was sure that I clearly heard Jiro Wang in his junior Math class. The Math building was East of our English building, and it was the closest to the main building. Maybe someone saw them and are thinking about how _weird_ they were.

_Hey, try to appear to be more attentive. Your eyes look like you're half-way asleep. Mrs. Lautner won't appreciate that another student's mind is_ traveling _somewhere else._

Max grinned at me.

_Sure, I'll try_, I told him sarcastically.

I pushed my mind to travel farther than our building. East. _Max, call me when I look like I'm in outer space, all right?_

_Alex?_ he joked.

_Hilarious, Max._

It was difficult to let my mind just drift and look for another mind to read so I _rode _on one person's mind to skip to another. I got lucky that Taylor, the school keeper, was walking along the pathway to the Math building. He had his cleaning tools and he was worried that the graffiti in the gym wouldn't come off. He would have to paint the whole wall for the third time.

Max stifled a growl. _I swear I'm going to look for the kids that did that. And since they seem to be very attached to that wall, I'll use their blood to color it._

I snorted. _Better yet, order them to help Taylor with his job every day after school. That'll surely earn them a different reputation than what they're aiming. Imagine them, doing what they hate to do. Just make sure they are aware that they don't want to do the chore yet they don't seem to know how to stop themselves from doing it anyway._

_Very well. But then, I can just kill them and use their blood to color the wall. Easier._

I sighed. _Enough, Max. All right? Let me focus again._

Taylor stopped abruptly after he walked into the Math building. I am luckier than what I expected. But Taylor wasn't.

Taylor took a deep breath. He was frozen just a few steps into the Math building. _Ghosts?_

_No, that's not a ghost, Taylor. _Max swore, _Run!_

Max shot up not a second before the bell rang to signal the end of the first period. I pulled my foot and yanked my sock and boot on. We had to keep skin contact so we both decided to keep our jackets off. When Max tightly gripped my hand, there was a sudden mental uproar of teenage girls' mutiny.

We were out of the classroom now, but Max suddenly stopped, seeing Taylor's reaction in my vision. Max was torn between running as fast as he can to aid Taylor and not being discovered. But Taylor did not seem to need saving.

"_Hello, we're new here. Our first period ended early and our next class is in the Science building. Do you mind pointing us in the right direction?_" The small vampire spoke in a tinkling soprano.

_Oh. _Sigh. _Right, ghosts can't look that good. They're more like angels than ghosts. _"_The Science building's across the library. Just go through the exit there_," Taylor pointed to the West exit of the Math building, "_Then go straight ahead until you see the large sundial. The library is the building where the twelve of the sundial points, and the Science building's the four._"

"_Thank you._"

"_Anytime. By the way, I'm Taylor, the school custodian. Welcome to Parker High._"

"_Thanks, Taylor! I'm Alice. This is my brother, Edward_." Through Taylor's eyes, I saw Alice smile sweetly up at him.

Edward nodded to Taylor.

"Let's go," Max urgently said. _That's where our next class is, too._ If those two are still here, the other two can't be far.

I nodded, venom boiling in my whole body. They dare. They dare come inside our school and walk the halls where my schoolmates - my fragile human schoolmates - are.

_Hello? _"_What are their names, Edward?_" Alice said when Taylor was a few feet past them. They stayed where they were but they backed into a corner to avoid the students rushing to their second periods - students who were eying them stealthily.

"_Max and Alex_," Edward answered, but he seemed that he was calling us, too.

If I can hear them, Edward can hear us, too.

I grabbed Max's hand and tugged him. We were going between a fast walk and a slow run toward the Math building.

_"_Get as far away as you can, while you can, vampire. If I still see you anywhere in this school after ten minutes - and I don't care whether it's face to face or just seeing through my schoolmates' eyes - I will end you all. I swear, I will go looking for you, and I'll make you wish that you had died before turning into the filthy parasites that you are_."_

"Don't think that I'll let you have all the fun, Alex. Leave at least two for me, okay?" Max joked, but he was serious with his version of a threat.

_"Please, hear us out," _Edward pleaded. _"We did not come here to do anything that would provoke you to do to us the things you have been thinking about."_

"I have no time to listen to your lies and excuses, vampire. You will die if I catch you. You'd better take your little coven, and leave before I get my hands on you and I -"

_"We come in peace. We weren't even aware that we would need to declare this. But I swear, we have nothing against you. Although, I think I can safely say that you, on the other hand, have something against us."_

That stomped my rage instantly. "We do have a vampire complex, don't we?" I asked Max, and he laughed.

"_Why is that?_"

"We don't need to explain ourselves to you." I snapped at Alice, my fury coming back as fast at it had gone. We're just a few feet from the Math building. "If you're still standing there when we arrive, I'll bury your ashes there."

"_What - and let the humans see you finish off vampires_?"

"_Alice_," Edward cautioned.

My thoughts ran wild. I stopped in my tracks just after entering the Math building, letting go of Max's hand - I balled my hands into fists, keeping my anger in check. We can see them now. And it seemed that Edward was not just wary of an attack, but actually afraid.

"I am, not for myself but for my family," he answered my thoughts. Alice looked at him, puzzled.

He was telling the truth, I was sure about his fear for the other vampires' safety. He was thinking about his wife who is not around, probably to protect her.

Alice had a point, as hard as it may be for me to admit. I couldn't risk fighting when humans are around, however far they may be from ground zero. (I couldn't have them within at least a mile in radius.)

Mrs. Lautner wasn't here, she was still in the same room, preparing her lesson for her next class. But Josh Fleinhardt was heading to the Math building to pass through the shorter way to the gym, and he was just fifty feet behind us, along with a number of our classmates. Most of them may not be in our next class in the Science building but most of them will pass through here to get to their respective classes.

What will they think when they see us fight the vampires?

_Do not listen to our thoughts, Edward_, Max ordered with a grin. And Edward immediately had to follow, he was able to read the thoughts of everyone around but ours. It seemed that he was inconvenienced with not being able to listen to our minds and there seemed to be something he was hiding about this. He suddenly brought up the other female vampire's face, his _wife_, in his minds then quickly shoved it at the back of his head and filled his mind instead of his and Alice's views of the situation, and their interpretation of our little actions, wary of the brewing battle.

I was about to try to explore his thoughts more to discover what he was trying to hide when Max called my attention.

"Alex, there's something we haven't considered doing yet." _And that will prevent the need to demonstrate to the humans how to destroy vampires - not that they will be able to use what they'll observe..._

He took my hand to show me his thoughts, forgetting that I could read his mind now, even without our special means of communication.

"_Of course._" Just order them to leave_. _Simple_. _"But would you like to miss the chance to obliterate another coven?"

_Hmm... _Max thought in mock meditation. Then he shrugged, _I _could _also tell them to leave and then when they're far enough, kill each other. Is that all right?_

I laughed. "I don't know. It might be a bit _brutal - _even for us."

I looked at Edward and Alice to see if the threat had sunk in well. It might have but we all became distracted by a swarm of warm bodies, coming in the building to go to their next classes. Edward and Alice pretended to be examining the glass-cased trophies of the Parker Math students from years back. It was a bit interesting that a few of them, one was Josh, seemed to sense a bit of tension in the thirty feet of space between the vampires and Max and I.

When the last of the horde of students passed, Edward continued to examine Max and I from head to toe, still marveling on how _humans _like we seem to be, could have memories of the vampire slaying (he believed everything he's seen in our heads and he's been playing our recollections to check for any pattern in strategy), and lived when the vampires were annihilated. _It seemed reverse_, he thought, and he was a bit amused at this. He may have believed every vision of vampire battles we've had, but he can't help but think how mere humans could manage that.

Silly _vampire, _didn't seem to notice that our scent suggested that we weren't _merely_ humans.

_Maybe they're hybrids, too? Hmm... That's interesting._

What? He had guessed? But how could that be?

"_Quite brutal, I have to agree,_" Alice murmured. There were just a little over thirty feet between us and I can see that her brows were furrowed.

I became completely distracted by her statement, forgetting the glimpse I had of a little girl in Edward's memory. What is she talking about?

Her eyes were oddly blank although she was attentive enough to voice out her opinion - and it was at the exact time that an opinion about Max and I's plans would have been uttered. I centered my attention to use Edward's special skill and applied it on Alice. Is she also reading our thoughts? But no two vampire abilities are the same. She has to have a different gift.

Alice's thoughts were wilder than mine, even putting together my own and others' thoughts, not because she was thinking of a number of things at the same time. Instead, her head was full scenarios and not thoughts. Most blurred and some distinct - like TV signal reception. She was running through her visions like slides in a presentation, analyzing each scene.

She doesn't seem to be reading our thoughts, but seeing the possible scenarios or outcomes because none of the images I was viewing have actually happened or are happening. I saw a very distinct scene through her eyes of Max giving out the order for them to leave (and they have, or will, because the place where they were wasn't within the borders of Juneau) - which can't be right because we were all standing in the Math building hallway in the present - but after a flash, almost in time when I saw Max shift his thoughts and decided finally to have them attack each other, her vision turned to a very clear scene where they would be somewhere remote (most likely near Auke lake), attacking each other.

It would really be a shame if I don't get to have a go at these bold vampires who dared to cross us at the wrong place. We have to make a decision. _They're getting on my nerves. Shall we attack them now?_ Not one human was that near, except the rowdy students in the opposite room, waiting for their teacher who was still gossiping with the school cafeteria cook in a corner of the Math faculty office. Would they hear it when we rip the vampires' limbs apart and burn them?

"_No_, Alice. I _told_ you not to -" Edward warned her, of what, I can't be sure because Edward was quick to change the course of his thoughts. Which he was efficient - he had to be, this was his skill after all. He should know the ways around the gift.

Since I couldn't get anything from Edward, I checked if Alice was still thinking about what caused Edward alarm. I suddenly saw one of the blurriest of Alice's visions - Max and I are poised to attack them here in the Math building's hallway, but the other two vampires were also in the picture - the other male was on Edward and Alice's side faced by Max, and I was facing the entrance, where the other female was standing.

For the second time this day, I felt my surroundings spinning around me.

I saw for a brief moment that I was being held by the shaking Max but when I locked eyes with Alice, it seemed I saw through a different set of eyes. I heard Alice gasp.

But since I was seeing through my own eyes (though it doesn't feel like it) the vision seemed clearer. With every tactic or strategy that went through Max's mind, the vision would shift, as if I was watching a huge TV being divided into smaller screens. I tuned out the other visions that were growing smaller, less distinct but more gruesome - as Max contemplated on how he could keep me safe while he kills the vampires - to examine the center screen which was the largest and clearest and what seemed to be the result of my decision.

My screen was where her previous vision ended. So that vision might have been the outcome of my decision - my decision to ask Max to attack the vampires then, and do so when he agreed. In this vision, Max was still poised to attack the three he faced. But I was not in an offensive position anymore. I shifted the point of view of the screen (how I did it, I can't be sure - it just happened when I thought about it) to see my face. I saw myself looking at the female vampire curiously. My vision self looked back at Edward with a shrewd expression then looked back at the lone, young vampire.

I somehow felt that Max was also watching the images I was seeing. He abruptly stopped his train of thought and also focused on my screen which was getting bigger, as if his smaller screens were being absorbed into it.

"What are you doing to her?" Max snarled. "Stop it!"

"Alice can't stop it, Max. However hard you order her to. And it's not her doing - not actually. It's Alex's visions now, and Alice is just stuck in the vision she started."

"How dare you blame Alex!" Max was about to lean me against a wall, but a breeze blew at my left elbow. I was sure he felt it, too, because he growled.

"Jazz -"

"Edward, Alice - she's... terrified."

"Edward, what's wrong with Alice?" The other female was standing in the threshold. All the characters in the vision are now present.

"Bella, stay there."

In my head, I saw myself sitting on the floor with eyes closed just like what I felt I might be like while having this vision. I heard a tearing sound and looked up to see Max fighting four vampires. The sound may have also been heard by the humans because their heads were popping out of the classroom doors. They might have thought that there was just some fight but when they saw marble-like pieces of moving limbs, they all fled in terror.

"Max, no," I was able to utter. "Stop."

He turned back to me, but he was still shaking with fury. I dodged the arm that he was about to wrap around me.

Breathing hard, I managed to sit straight and open my eyes but I was still not able to see the present. I felt Alice's mental shiver when she saw my memory of Max ripping them apart.

"Alice, it's Jasper. Tell us the matter," Jasper, the other male vampire, called her. Although Alice has registered Jasper's voice, she can't react like I can. She was trapped in the vision - and she was scared, as if she was really there within the vision and not just watching. And the voice of Jasper she heard was the vision's version of his growls and snarls.

"Don't, Max. The humans will see." I tried to sound calm but I was becoming as terrified as Alice with every second that I was blinded of the present. I turned my head towards the now three vampires' scents.

"Edward, do you see the vision through Alice's mind?" I asked.

"No." _And it's so frustrating... _He smiled but quickly frowned. "It might be because this is your vision and Max ordered me not to read your thoughts."

"Max, recall the order. Give Edward his full skill back."

"But Alex -"

"Please, trust me, Max."

Max's breathing which has been going double-time for the last ten minutes suddenly picked up more. This was the first time since our reunion that I asked for his trust and it may have affronted him.

"You know I trust you, Alex - with anything. Everything."

"I know, Max."

"Fine. Edward, you may read everyone's thoughts that you can read - including..." Max's nose must've flared because I heard him breath out heavily. "Ours."

I reached up a hand and Max assisted me to stand. He was puzzled but he did not question me. I quickly let go, and leaned on the wall. He does trust me and I was about to betray him in a way.

I needed Edward's help and I needed it badly. Alice and I were still locked in my visions, and I can't do anything to bring my eyes to the present. It is kind of disorienting to be in the present while I'm seeing the vision over and over at every possible angle. I tried hard to focus in the present and I succeeded.

And Max is already worked up enough for me to add another worry.

_Tell me if I'm facing the wrong way._

I took a small step forward. _A little to the left, a degree or two? _Edward said.

_How about this?_

_There._

I smirked, _Okay. _It felt weird that I was cooperating with Edward but it also felt nice.

"Edward, Alice is trapped inside my head." I started. "Or rather, we are both trapped within the vision, but Alice -"

Behind me, I can hear Max and Bella's frequent shallow breaths.

"Can't you talk to her? She's in your head after all." Jasper said brusquely.

"No, she doesn't seem to see me." I answered Jasper without facing where his voice was coming from. _It might be the reason that I'm blind now. She's actually believing that she is there within the vision, watching you all get... attacked. _"Edward, you can't still read her mind?"

"No," _Alice... I can't hear her thoughts but I can read Jasper's and even without the images, I know that Alice is very afraid. And it takes so much to scare her._

"And you are diverting your thoughts. I have to see the where she is - to have an idea how to get her out of there."

As much as I suppressed the memory, the vision was replayed. I saw in his mind that he grew more anxious with every second, that I stopped the vision when Max turned to the other female, Edward's mate. He looked like he was about to get sick or start throwing punches.

"Bella," Edward breathed. I saw through Max that Edward's eyes were large and wild.

"Edward?" Jasper was reading Edward's reactions and he seemed to be very affected by Edward's emotions that he was also feeling the same way.

_That wasn't true and it won't happen. _I assured Edward.

As soon as I told him that, a new vision emerged - something entirely different and not immediate. _A possibility_, I heard Edward think, and somehow, his emotions became lighter.

"Alex?" Max said, worry coloring his tone.

"She's having another vision." Edward told Max. "And a good one, might I add."

I gasped the same time I heard Alice did when the vision ended. I can see now. So that means -

"Alice!" Jasper and Bella cried.

Alice slopped to the floor, not at all normal to a vampire. Then again, haven't I fainted twice within the last couple of hours? It wasn't supposed to ever happen to us either.

Jasper has already caught Alice before Bella swooped past us, not minding that she could have been seen by humans moving at lightning speed - not that any human would have seen her movement; they'll just see her standing by the entrance and the next moment crouched by Alice's side.

_Bella would have liked to hear that you thought she was fast. But you have to know that she has never let her guard down like this amidst humans. She just loves Alice so much, and to see Alice this way..._

"Consider us even then, vampire." All heads turned to me. _I'm sure you know how much pain this caused Max. The vision would have taken place if I hadn't stopped him._

"I know. And I am truly in your debt."

I snorted, "You have a twisted kind of mentality, you know that? Even for young ones, you are too optimistic and trusting."

"Young?" Edward rolled his eyes. _I'm positive that I heard you approximate your age at ten thousand earlier. _"How old are you, seventeen? Eighteen?"

"Eighteen, and you're supposed to be -" _Oops... Shoot._

"Excuse her, she's having another one" There was laughter in his voice as he saw my new vision.

"This would be more frequent at first." Alice said, a little breathless. "Just try to have a living-in-the-present disposition and the visions will lessen. Also, try not to think about the outcomes of every little thing. That would definitely drive you crazy."

Even with my still ongoing vision, I saw Alice stick her tongue out at Edward, and a memory of Edward asking Alice to keep an eye on the still human Bella.

I sighed as the vision ended. "Will that really happen?"

"As I have said about your earlier vision, it's a possibility." Edward chuckled. "Alice's visions - now yours, too - are subject to individual decisions. Thus, with a little doubt or a change of mind, the future would change as well."

I smirked and rolled my eyes. "Whatever, vamp. We're out of here. If you're still in the campus before the day ends, you're dead. And if you're as wise as you appear to be, you'll listen."

However I looked at it, Edward was right. The vision was possible because I was starting to like him and he knew, because he was able to read our thoughts again, that the threat was now empty.

I grabbed the hand of the still silent Max and we passed the four vampires to head to our Science class.


	3. Chapter 2 The Past

**The Past**

The next hours passed in a blur of colors and sounds. It was a good thing that second period was Science. Teachers, Ms. Clancy especially, generally assume that students know a little, if not nothing, about the subject. All I needed to do was appear to be listening.

However, when History came, I could barely hold it together. My head has been buzzing with people's thoughts and flashes of visions like mad. And it was all I could do to keep myself from screaming. It was a good thing, too, that I already had Edward's ability when Mr. Mason called me for an answer.

"'The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls' was from no other than the sixteenth century famous artist named -"

All I had to do was invade our teacher's thoughts and there it was: "Picasso," I said weakly when he nodded in my direction. Well, I wouldn't have needed to pick Mr. Mason's brain had I been paying more attention. Picasso's was one of my favorite centuries.

Max has been on the edge of his seat since we came in, clearly worried that I might vent out at any moment. He's been chanting "It'll be all right, calm down" or "You'll get the hang of it soon" every twenty seconds or so.

But I was still okay until Mr. Mason let us go. I stormed to the ladies' room first chance I got. Max ran after me (human-like, of course), and he hovered at the restroom's door like a jumpy guard dog, pacing (as lightly as he could - he wouldn't want to dredge a path on the concrete floor, I'm sure), stopping only when a girl would enter the restroom after eying him.

I was sick. The reason - I have no idea. I have never experienced this before after absorbing an ability. How this could happen to a - to what we are, I am stumped. It might be because I absorbed two abilities - two very strong and rare abilities at that - I don't know. But I was sick.

I waited until the last curious yet clueless human went out of the restroom until I let the contents of my rumbling stomach out. I haven't ever vomited since I was born and I was careful not to have humans get an idea of our diet. Max was inside my cubicle in an instant.

"Alex," Max murmured, "Do you want to go home now?"

He stroked my hair and put an arm around my shoulders. I flushed the toilet, blood and pieces of undigested meat swirling with the water.

I looked up, and shook my head. He was dead worried now. I'm sure he's as baffled as I was. But I can't even begin to comprehend his fear of watching me break down. After so many millennia, we finally meet a band of vampires that could inflict any damage at us.

"I'm -" I heaved again, so I continued the sentence in my head, _okay._

"Just say the word, baby girl, I'll destroy them." Max said, but the threat was clouded by the anguish that I was putting him through.

I must be strong. Or at least, appear to be. For Max.

"No, I'll be all right." I told him, "I think I just need fresh air, or be somewhere no one's thinking that we're about to break up or something."

"Seriously, we could just ditch Dr. Morgan's - what?"

I laughed, and then puked almost immediately. Ugh. At least my statement distracted him.

"All of _them_." I began, wiping my sweaty face with my right sleeve. "They think we're having a fight since first period, that you broke my heart or something, or that I caught you cheating. Where they got the idea, I don't know. But they're a bit vicious about it. Being victorious, and all."

I scowled, and I realized that I was actually irritated. I tried hard to keep from growling but it still got through my clenched teeth.

"_Humans_," I said darkly, meaning for the word to become as close to a curse as possible.

Max fidgeted by my side when I hurled again. All the while, visions of the weather condition, class topics, a wedding proposal of a human friend, an accidental addition to our English coven were running on my mind.

"Do you think Alice will give me more tips on how to better control her skill?" I asked, thinking of asking the tiny vampire for help. She would be okay about it, I suppose. If they wanted to attack us in the first place, I would have seen that in their thoughts. They could be good vampires after all. Or, very good vampires at lying and diverting their thoughts. Well, whichever they were, there isn't anyone else who knows better about their abilities than Edward and Alice.

"Alex?"

I stiffened. I was suddenly in a place where everything was white. Snow? It is not due to snow yet. And I felt really silly for even considering that - I was in a toilet just a second ago. This could be nothing but a vision. Isn't it ever going to end?

It seemed that I didn't have a choice with this so I looked around.

In the vision, I felt a hand gripping mine. It was Max's. It felt good, consoling, yet somehow tensed. There were eight vampires a hundred yards away from where we were standing. A short ways away from them, six more were on the porch on a white house. Not one of them was in any way threatening but I was curious about the way the eight were standing close to each other, facing us - much like they were waiting for us, not to attack but to decide to come nearer them. One of them - the one in the center - even had his right hand outstretched towards us.

_"It's all right, Alex, Max,"_ he said.

_"No,"_ I heard myself whisper. I was shocked about the fear and remorse I could hear in my voice, but I was even more confused at my refusal. They seemed very welcoming and kind. I feel that I trust them, but it was myself that I didn't trust.

Someone moved among their ranks. He moved so quickly and lithely yet it couldn't be mistaken as an assault. He stopped just a few feet from Max and I.

_"No harm was done. Everything's all right."_

_"You keep saying _that_."_ I accused. My eyes darted from him and the other vampire that spoke earlier. _"It's_ not _all right. It will never be. We can't stay here."_ I turned to Max, _"I shouldn't have convinced you to try. What was I thinking?"_

_"Alex, it's _my_ fault. If you want, we'll leave this instant."_

_"You don't have to. I'm okay. I wasn't hurt -"_

_"Of course you're not hurt. But you - any of you - will be. _Eventually_."_

I saw myself tightening my grip on Max's hand. He understood.

We turned to leave.

I felt myself being shaken violently - well, it would have shattered every single bone in a human's body into pieces - but it did its purpose: I was wrenched from the vision.

_"Alex? Max?"_ someone called from the outside of the female restroom. The volume of the voice was clearly intended for only the two of us.

"What do you want?" Max snarled, louder than what was necessary.

_"Do you need help?"_ said another voice: Bella, Edward's mate. The other could only be Alice. I was able to catch Edward's and Jasper's scents just a couple of feet away, clearly not wanting to be seen hovering outside the ladies' room. "_Edward told us that you suddenly disappeared after your Science class and -_"

"No, go away." Max said before he turned and appraised me.

"_Does that apply only to Bella or me as well?_" Alice asked, her voice light and joking.

Max blanched. "What?"

Alice giggled. _"We're here to help. I kind of know what to do since the ability Alex absorbed is mine. We're ready to leave if you decide to. We all think it will be all right to skip school today, it's just the first day of the term anyway."_

"_We_ don't need _you_. GO AWAY." Max ordered again. The tone of his voice more threatening than ever.

_"Where is that 'away', Max?"_ Alice said, her voice was still full of laughter. She was pretending to be organizing her bag while Bella leaned casually by the ladies' room's door.

"Alice," Bella groaned, "_I don't think this is a great idea. I think Jasper is right. We should leave them alone._" I heard Bella say while I flushed the toilet. She, at least, had some sense not to anger Max.

_How can they do this? They are not affected by my ability, Alex._ Max told me, his mind's voice was calculating and apprehensive. _Do you think they could hear us now, too?_

_No, not the others. But Edward can. I was able to hear Harvey and Emma's conversation and thoughts while in History class earlier. And I know for sure that they weren't anywhere inside the campus - the things they were talking about and planning to do..._

I shook my head and tried to pull myself together as hard as I can. I can't let Max face them when I'm in a less than all right state. I won't be able to hold him back if I'm like this. They have no prayer at all if strength and speed are in question. But it will not be a good idea if Max attacks vampires in the midst of humans.

Besides, we only know that Edward is able to read minds and Alice see visions. We still have no idea about the abilities of Bella and Jasper - if they even have any. What were the odds of the other two having any abilities, too? Fat chance. But the possibility of meeting a coven of vampires fasting on human blood was just as remote. They may even be a group of gifted vampires for all I knew, the head vamp recruiting as many deadly leeches as possible.

_"I hope you wouldn't think of our father that way."_ Edward cut into my thoughts, a little offended. _"He's probably the most compassionate vampire you'll ever meet."_

_Hmph! Father..._ "Has anyone ever told you that your eavesdropping is very annoying?" I retorted.

"_I think we, Rose especially, tell him that a couple of times a day._" Alice said after purposefully letting her purse drop.

Edward ignored our asides. "_Alex, I had a glimpse of your vision a few moments ago._" _I saw that you met my whole family. That's in Denali. I don't understand is the situation, though. _"_Is it __the first __time you saw that scene?_" Edward inquired.

"_Yes,_" I said, as snobbish as I can.

_Hmm.. It should mean that they are already considering civility or possible friendship, or that we would, at least, eventually be in good enough terms with them for them to allow to meet the rest of my family. Or is it sheer curiosity?_

Possible friendship? I rolled my eyes and snorted. Under the present circumstances? I don't know. But he may be right about sheer curiosity. He was looking up at their father fang so much, I wonder how this was so. Vampires don't get attached to other vampires that strongly unless it's their mate.

I was glad that I was strong enough to stand now, barely needing to lean on the cubicle divisions for support. The sick feeling in my stomach was gone, too. I think the ability is _finally _settling in.

I grabbed Max's wrist and lead the way out of the cubicle, and headed out of the restroom. I was about to turn the knob when I heard Max's thoughts. I turned to face him. He was looking down and his hands were balled into fists.

_I'll kill them... I'll kill them..._

_Why are you staring at me? Do you have any idea of_ what _I am? Silly human. You may be blonde and tall, but come near me if you want to be my dinner. Haha..._ Alice's thoughts were mischievous, playing different ways of torturing humans with pleasure. Tickling humans with fluffy boas was her most favorite way.

_"Alice,"_ Edward cautioned as each of her imaginations was getting more gruesome than the previous.

Through Edward's eyes, I saw Alice stick her tongue out at him. Bella laughed but Jasper was still as distant.

_Aren't they finished yet? I have to pee... "If they're not yet out in the next five minutes, I'll call the custodian."_ I heard Janice Storm say. Through the eyes of Jasper – who was closest to Janice - I saw her standing twenty feet across where he and Edward were standing, leaning against a wall just outside one of the History rooms.

_"No, not yet. I heard Dave is planning to plant a video-cam or voice recorder by the window. That should be exciting."_ Harvey Robinson's thoughts were running wild: Max and I shouting at each other, me slapping Max, or me running out of the ladies' room, crying. But he was confused, too, because none of the spies they sent to pass the entrance of the ladies' room was able to hear anything.

I thought I heard Jasper mutter something but it was too soft, and his thoughts disconcerted, that I decided I had just imagined it. I turned my attention back to Max. His thoughts were of torture, too, but not in the playful manner of Alice's. It was so sinister that I was getting very nervous myself.

_One wrong move, I'll kill you._

"_Max_," I began, trying to sound comforting. But I didn't know what to tell him. How could I avert his murderous schemes?

_"Would you like to talk to us now? I think you're not inclined to learn more about stuff you already know, am I correct?"_

I ignored Edward, but his suggestion was what I was considering, too. "Max," I tried again. "Let's just talk to them. They could even teach me how to control their skills better."

"Alex, are you all right now?" Max's voice was rough and forceful, but it was calm and controlled enough. He was taking steadying breaths, too.

"Yes," I lied. My head was still loaded with everyone's subconscious but pacifying Max was my number one priority this moment. He won't be able to be as objective as he can while he's this agitated - and murderously agitated at that.

"We could take them to the clearing at Auke Lake where we usually go." _Should a fight ensue, as you no doubt wish, there should be plenty space to have fun._

Max seemed to have calmed a bit because of my dark humor. The corners of his lips twitched but his mind was still distressed. _Just give me a chance; I'll crush all the breakable parts in your loathsome body... into fragments, into bits, into dust..._

_I almost feel bad that we would disappoint Max because we won't give him cause to pulverize us._ Edward thought, clearly intended for me to hear.

I laughed, Max looking at me like I was crazy - which I felt I was gradually becoming. I was beginning to really like Edward. Huh, maybe they weren't half bad after all.

"_Thank you. I'm glad you are starting to think of us that way now,_" Edward said. It sounded very sincere. "_Shall we go then?_"

_Max? What do you think? Are you up for a vamp to vamp talk?_

_We're not vampires, Alex._

_Whatever, they're almost like us, right?_

_Whatever._

_Shall we?_ I asked Max again. Even though Max doesn't use his ability on me to overrule our decisions, I still want us to be in agreement when doing stuff, especially when meeting up with enemies.

"_We won't be your enemies, unless you want us to be._" Edward said. I think he's a bit irritated by my assumptions.

_Is that a threat? Or wishful thinking?_

"_Neither. I just wish you would speak to us first before you judge us._"

"I think we're entitled to judge who we want to. We've been through a lot with vampires enough to have a general impression of your race." My voice raised a bit, along with my temper.

I could clearly recall all of our vampire encounters. I know that they were not at all pretty, but the memory was for Edward - to press my point.

Most of them, mistaking me for a human, wanted to _hunt _me. The word was laughable when connected to us; that will never apply to me or to Max. Some were to settle our territory. These were the earliest and most savage because we were still more monsters than human - young and untamed as we were. This was the era when we still fed the natural way. A few of the other vampire engagements we had were mere whim - those who suspected we were more vampire than human, detecting our strange scent - wanted to test us if we were up to the challenge. Challenge us, they did. Now they're dust in the wind.

_"We're not going anywhere with this, Edward. Let's just leave them alone."_ Jasper inserted, scattering my thoughts.

Irritated, I put some notice on the other male vampire, more than the usual. It took a little more effort to sift through Jasper's thoughts. His mind was dark and full of scenarios where his family and Max and I were involved: Max and I crouching, in an attacking stance, advancing on to his family in the middle of a clearing; Jasper shielding them, scared for Alice and his brother and sister. I couldn't blame him, even I get scared of myself sometimes, just right after I snap out of my rage.

But what made me most curious was the feeling he was emanating... and absorbing? His head was filled with nothing but caution and fear (which seemed to be because of my recollections), but part of his emotions was the students' curiosity, Edward's calm, Alice's mirth, Bella's worries, Max's fury and my confusion. It was a bit distressful to listen to his thoughts and feel diverse emotions. But how was he doing that?

"_Jasper's emphatic._" Edward answered hesitantly, everyone's attention - all of us who can hear him, anyway - turned to him. "_He is able to feel and influence the climate of the mood and emotions __of those around him._" _And right now, he might be a bit disoriented because of the intensity of your, and Max's, emotions._

When he mentioned Max's name, his tone was a bit amused.

_I'm sorry then, for bringing discomfort to your brother. _I said, but my tone dared and taunted him.

My statement did not seem to affect him in the way that I meant because when he replied, he was sincere. "_Thank you, but don't worry about it._" _He's more than in control of his ability._

My eyes narrowed. So he was gifted, too. Is his skill any good? What use could I have with his ability? It could be good to rein Max's temper in.

I shrugged. I'll burn the bridge when I get there. It's not as if they would just allow me to absorb their brother's ability anyway.

I wanted to confirm my idea with Edward but he seemed to have distracted himself of the homework they received in their Spanish class.

Max sighed. "All right, let's go, Alex."

I was so shocked that my musings were interrupted. "With them?"

"No, this could wait. Although, I hope it just won't happen." He sighed. He appeared as tired as I was, if not more. "We have to get you home first. You need to rest. You unlike them get tired. We have all the time in the world to speak to them. If we would ever."

_"Of course,"_ Alice said. _"We'll see you tomorrow after school, then."_

"Is that for sure?" I asked Alice, raising my eyebrows. I just saw her vision of Max and I talking to them. But this was not in the clearing. It was in our home.

We're going to invite vampires into our home? What's happening to this damned world?

Edward chuckled. "_It is all up to _your_ decision. If you change your mind about considering talking to us and perhaps, as the vision suggests, have us come over, the vision will change_."

I let out an impatient sound, then shrugged and turned my attention away from him. "Whatever, vamp."

_Alex,_ humans _twenty-five feet, south-south east. We have to move. They might be the ones who'll be spying on us that Harvey Robinson was talking about. I don't want to lash out on_ them _for idiocy of picking the_ wrong _time to irk me._

I took Max's white hands and wrapped his arms around me, and then I wrapped my own around his waist. _I know you won't do that. You love this place as much as I do. Besides, don't you __remember that Dave is Richard's grandson? And you liked Richard, right?_

Max growled playfully, but hugged me tighter. He sniffed my hair and kissed my forehead. "Okay. Let's get out of here."

We went out of the restroom holding hands. I could see the defeated faces of those who were expecting to see me running away, cheeks streaked with tears. Janice Storm even had her mouth hanging open, which slowly closed to form into a smirk. _Drama queen_, she thought.

Oh, me? A drama queen? I giggled, unusually pleased at Janice's attention.

_I'll give you drama queen. _I laughed and pulled Max closer to my side, leaning my head on his shoulder, and winding my left arm around his waist. I even shot Max the most _gooey _look I could manage. Janice and the other girls present seemed to have hissed in unison. They all wanted to be in my place and wished that I burn in hell.

I laughed again and glanced at the Cullens, a title I picked up from Alice's memory of when they were still in Washington State. She was remembering their _second_ first day in High School there. She was glad that she had Bella now, who had her right arm hooked around Alice's left. Edward, who was focusing on both mine and Alice's thoughts, had a small smile playing on his lips. But Jasper was looking at us curiously. He was confused at Max and I's relationship and the reason we were putting up a show for these humans.

"Well, Jasper, it's just something we like doing. Humans are so predictable and easy to manipulate. It might be a bit _petty_ for a hobby but we enjoy it. And now that I have Edward's mind reading skill, I can understand their reactions more because of their thoughts." I explained in vampire volume, as Max and I were walking towards the school cafeteria, the Cullens were several feet behind us.

The rest of the day went in an even hazier manner. There were a lot of insignificant thoughts I had to block out and I found it hard to keep myself from talking out loud and responding to unspoken questions, especially when they are not intended for me to know. An example was if I was planning to leave town soon, and leave Max alone.

Max and I went home hurriedly after a quick lunch composed of an apple and soda. I asked Max to get me something sweet to help me forget the taste of acid in my mouth. Max ate nothing and just glared at the resident vampires. He was furious that they didn't even make an effort to seem interested in their food - except Edward. He pretended to eat his lunch by hiding the pieces under the table, no doubt after hearing Max's thoughts. Bella, being the loyal wife that she seems to be, followed suit. This seemed to have infuriated Max even more.

During lunch, Edward and I had a silent conversation. We talked by reading each other's mind. Max didn't know this but he suspected that I was communicating with Edward because I was silent and inattentive until the school bell rang.

I found out that Bella had just recently joined their family, becoming a vampire four years back. Edward was turned when he was seventeen, like Alice, but in separate places and under different circumstances. Edward was dying of Spanish influenza then when Carlisle changed him, while Alice was turned by an unknown vampire while admitted in a psychiatric facility by her human family. Jasper, on the other hand, was the oldest among them four. He became a vampire during the Confederate War in eighteen-sixty-four, and fought more wars after that in the infamous Newborn Southern Feud. Thus his scars.

Their public story is that Edward and Alice are twins. They are Cullens and juniors. Bella and Jasper are brother and sister, Bella a junior (Edward recalled for a brief moment that she didn't want to pretend to be younger because she hated the lower year subjects - boring was the word she used - and not older because she wanted to be the same age as Edward), while Jasper a senior. They are Hales, but Edward also mentioned that Bella's real last name was Swan. They are supposedly close family friends, and live in their newly bought home somewhere in XXX.

Edward also sort of introduced the other members of his family by recalling them. Carlisle, their father, who was around three hundred years old, the oldest in their family, had a kind and patient face (Edward pictured Carlisle in his study room); Esme, their mother, was a sweet and charming woman who loved to decorate and rebuild old homes; their other siblings Rosalie and Emmett, stayed behind in New Hampshire, for an extended vacation because they wanted some time off from school.

I had another glimpse of the same little girl in Edward's memory, but he was even quicker to divert his thoughts this time. When I started to ask about the girl, he said that it wasn't the right time to meet their family's last member. I assumed that she was another sister, but had been killed long before we met them. I assumed the worst, too, to force him to bring up his hidden memories but Edward caught on to my intentions immediately and just recited the pledge of allegiance in French to humor me.

When lunch ended, the Cullens went to their separate classes while Max and I headed home. Because we didn't bring a car, we had to run again. Which suits me, even though I felt tired and my hands were still clammy. I have always liked the feel of the whipping wind on my face while dashing through the greenery. The scent of the leaves or grass with icy wind was one of my favorites.

We flew through the trees eastward. We were laughing out loud because I was telling Max about what the humans were thinking about since we got out of the ladies' room earlier. He had been so focused on his own furious thoughts that he didn't even hear mine even when I was holding his hand all those time. I have been worried that Max wouldn't lighten up and I was glad that he was laughing with me now

"_Honestly_," he rolled his eyes, "I'm not even _that_ good looking. They just can't understand that they're drawn to us because we're their predator, and that's what we do - we lure them. But look at those vampires we met. They're perfect."

"Almost nobody gave them the slightest attention. Besides, they're very pale looking even for vampires. Anyway, the primary topic of gossip was our fight." I told him. _Fight_. "If they could just see us when we get into a fight. I bet they'd die of fear."

Max abruptly stopped, almost colliding into a huge spruce, remembering that he still had a decision to make. "Alex, what do you think about them?"

I halted in front of him. _Them_ meant Cullens, of course. He knew what I was going to say but he had to ask. He was watching me in the cafeteria earlier while he was figuring out what Edward and I could be talking about.

"I think they're okay. I didn't get any weird feelings while around them - not with Edward, anyway." I added as I remembered Jasper and his scars. Edward didn't give more details about Jasper's involvement in the Newborn Feud.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I think so," I replied. "They are _different_. They don't feed on humans as a choice. The way they look at humans is almost friendly, especially Bella - but maybe that's because she hasn't been a vampire as long as the others." I paused for a bit, conscious that I let something Edward and I talked about slip. Though, I could have easily found that out because of the red shade in her skin. Max didn't think any more of it so I continued. "Besides, how many vampires have we met in our entire being who followed the same diet turned out bad?"

_None, I guess._ Max said, defeated. "But that's not really an assurance, right? We know _normal_ vampires who are more civilized than they are."

"I know," remembering some the members of our Winchester coven. I felt a pang of longing for them. "But what do you say about getting to know them?" I suggested. Alice's vision of potentially having them in our home is now almost possible.

Vampire friends? It's not that we haven't had vampire friends. We belonged to a coven once when we were still in England, where we stayed the longest. It's just that the number of our vampire friends has not increased in the last thousand years or so, while the number of vampires we destroyed has just been adding up since.

Max shrugged then changed the subject, "Would you like to hunt?"

"Sure," I replied.

We ran through the woods and rough terrain farther east. We've gone as far as British Columbia when I had another vision while mulling over what we have to do with the Cullens. It stopped me mid-air while launching myself to catch a prey. I landed on the soft ground with a thud that, although almost muted, echoed through the trees.

"What happened?"

"I don't know." I shook my head as I got up, my knees, elbows and arms soiled. "Something changed. We will be arriving home and Edward will be there, waiting."

"_What_?" Max said, enraged. He started thinking of Edward's reason for changing his mind but all of it ended with Max burning Edward to cinders.

"Max," I said soothingly, repressing laughter. He is easily agitated by these Cullens, I won't be surprised if Max attacks them for reasons as petty as breathing the wrong way. "Edward isn't waiting at home to ambush us. He just wants to talk to us first - alone. According to what I saw, he thinks there might be something we wouldn't want the others to know. But he also said - or will say later - that even though he may not be able to assure his silence in keeping our secret, he thinks he knows someone who would be very interested and may be able to help or guide us."

"Guide us for what? Wait... you said our secret?" His eyes grew larger. "He knows?"

"He guessed or may have picked it up from any of our thoughts." I said, trying hard not to sound accusing. I was absolutely sure that I wasn't thinking about what we are since we met the Cullens. It could be Max. Or we could be telling him about us before the scene I saw.

"Perhaps," Max said, thoughtful. "I wasn't thinking exactly what we are, but I was thinking about how we are almost like them but more _superior_. This Edward is perceptive. Maybe that's why he's able to hear others' minds."

"He is. And I think he isn't faking his kindness as well. Don't you think we should at least give them some credit for trying to be diplomatic?"

Max nodded and somehow I felt lighter.

But when I woke up at four in the morning the next day, I almost screamed. I had to tightly close my eyes again just to erase the images in my dream.

Dammit. It's them again. I haven't dreamt of the Volturi for a while - a quarter of a century while. It must've been because of the conversation Max and I had with Edward when we arrived home last night.

Edward did have an idea of what we were, although he was not entirely right. He had said that his daughter, Renesmeé the little girl in his memory, was part human and part vampire. Renesmeé was carried by Bella while she was still human. Renesmeé, amalgamated from Esme and Bella's mother Renee's names, was just four years old but appeared to be in her early teens, mental attributes developing even faster.

That was not our case, though, the only thing that was the same between Renesmeé and us that was accelerated in our lives was our mental development and growth in our mother's womb - all others were normal. But he doesn't need to know the other details - not yet, at least. He recounted the encounter his family and some of their friends had with the self-proclaimed _royalties _of the vampire race: the Volturi.

The Volturi came to their home back in Washington State seeking to destroy his daughter, thinking that Renesmeé was an immortal child: a human child bitten and changed into a vampire.

Edward couldn't believe that the Volturi still almost killed Renesmeé even when evidence showed that she was not an immortal child especially after I mentioned - let slip, more like - that we have been face to face with no less than Caius himself during our brief stay at Milan almost thirty years ago. Edward was full of indignation when he recalled that the trio wouldn't even consider Renesmeé's case just because the Volturi claimed they didn't have any idea how Renesmeé would turn out when one of the brothers already met us. And Edward pointed out that it was Caius who persisted on his child's death.

"The hypocrite." Max had commented.

Edward also told us that Renesmeé's case was just another facade to the Volturi's scheme: to collect the gifted Cullens and a few of their friends. Aro, the one that seemed to be their leader, coveted Edward's and Alice's abilities. A fight almost ensued but Alice had saved them by bringing a witness, another _hybrid _like Renesmeé, who was a fifty years older than Edward.

But it wasn't the circumstances that haunted my dream. It was the face of Renesmeé. She looked like me when I was her age. I remembered having the same length of hair I saw she had in Edward's memory, the same built and the same high-pitched laughter. She was surrounded by her family while from afar, the Volturi watched them with crazed interest.

She does look a lot like me. But only at first glance. When I looked closer, I realized that Renesmeé she looked closer to Anastasia. Their smiles were identical, as were their tiny hands and eye color.

I muffled another scream. I realized I was crying because of the wet blanket I covered my face with, but I wasn't aware when it began.

I have started thinking about Anastasia just before Jasper arrived in our home last night. I was both thankful and irritated with Jasper for following Edward. Edward's attention drifted from Renesmeé to Jasper in an instant. They can't know about Anastasia yet - or ever. But I still wanted to see Renesmeé.

I clearly remember the exchange of words last night after Jasper's scent suddenly came from nowhere. I had to give it to him, though. He was fast. I caught his scent one second and the next, he was at our doorstep.

"You _cannot _just come here, banging on our door." I had thrilled, standing up, restrained by Max. "Has facing the Volturi given you this false sense of security? Or are you just a band of suicidal vampires? Are you not scared of me at all because I look closer to a human than a vampire, and a female at that? You know, the emotions you felt," then I added, throwing a deadly glance at Edward, "and the visions you saw - the murderous and savage - were not random and crazed."

"Don't worry," Jasper said acidly, "I didn't come _here _not ready for a _fight_. I expected that you might attack me if I surprised you."

Edward groaned. Jasper glanced in his direction and using Edward's skill I was able to hear that Jasper thought that he can't have Edward face us alone when just one of us would be enough to annihilate his brother.

Jasper faced me again. He was smirking. Which boiled my blood, of course.

"What puzzles me though is that you were _not _alerted of _my _arrival. I have decided to follow Edward since Bella told me that he wanted to hunt. Alice wouldn't tell me anything but I had an idea that he was heading here. Haven't you _seen _I was coming?"

Great, just peachy. Another vampire would be destroyed in less than a minute if he doesn't stop talking and infuriate me some more. No, two vampires. Edward would surely defend his brother.

"You wouldn't want to go _there_, vampire." Max cautioned, but he seemed to be provoking Jasper more.

"If it were _Alice_, she'd already be at the door, lurking and ready to pounce." Jasper laughed. How he could still do that when my temper is peaking, I am perplexed. Edward said Jasper can feel the emotions around him, right? Doesn't he feel that I was slowly feeling murderous?

"Jazz, don't push your luck." Edward warned Jasper, his eyes wary, contemplating on my thoughts. "She was distracted before you arrived. And now, you distracted her again."

Jasper just continued to smirk, coupled with a smug aura. Then he shrugged.

That did it. I don't know which made me snap - his intrusion, his insinuation that someone is better than me or the fact that he was in our home and I didn't seem to like him or anyone else in his family aside from Edward. I had been so ready to obliterate him. I had poised to launch myself at him but froze almost instantly.

Another vision.

I felt cold - something I haven't felt for a few millennia. I wrapped my covers tightly around me. It seemed that I was relieving feeling I had after the split second volition of killing Jasper. Every part of my body tingled with the rush of the blood lust last night.

I remember that I had clutched my head to stop the vision. The images and sounds had been flashing so fast, I had felt I was going to start throwing up. I had also been certain that my head would have exploded any moment last night.

"Alex!" Max who had jumped at me and wrapped his arms to hold me back had quickly released me when I screamed.

"No," Edward choked, eyes out of focus. He leaned his pale, marble hands on back of our couch for support.

I had to scream this time. I was sobbing hysterically when Max entered my room and hugged me tight. He didn't need to ask. He knew what was up. I destroyed half of the first floor of our home last night after the vision I had.

"Alex?"

"All.. dead.. my.. fault.." I said almost incoherently.

"Hush, baby girl, they're not dead. They're not _alive_, but you get the idea." He joked, trying to divert my attention, but it didn't work. I can see all of the Cullens, shredded, burning. What I couldn't comprehend though was the overwhelming despair I felt after I saw their ashes.

The memory of it brought a new round of hysterics.

We did not go to school today. I can't even bear to have Max leave me. We were huddled in my bed all day, without any intention of moving. I would sleep for two to three hours just to wake up cold because of the memory that had now become a nightmare.


	4. Chapter 3 The Visitor

**The Visitor**

I didn't know the date when I opened my eyes again, conscious that I was breathing inside my body. I couldn't remember at once why I was feeling very tired and miserable.

When the memories came crashing in again, I had to remind myself that it's not just me that is affected. Max is even more in pain, seeing me like this.

Once again, as always, I have to be strong for Max.

Where is he anyway? _Max?_

He didn't answer. Maybe I wasn't thinking aloud in my mind.

_Max, where are you?_ I repeated, almost panicking. He never lets me wait.

Still no response. That should mean that he's nowhere within a hundred miles.

But where in the world could he be? And why would he leave?

My breathing became heavier every second Max's mind wouldn't tune in to answer me. I tried again and again and again but he still wasn't answering.

"Where are you, Max?" I whispered, trying hard to keep panic at bay.

I got out of bed and went straight to the kitchen. There was no note tacked on our cork board by the refrigerator.

"Max!" I said out loud, just a few notches lower than a scream. I was crying now. I have never felt more helpless.

"_Alex_?" Finally, he answers me. Relief flooded me "_What's wrong, baby girl_?" He's definitely not beyond a hundred miles, but he wasn't anywhere near, too.

"_I'm here at Ralph's Café. I'm sorry; I didn't think you'd wake up soon. Would you like me to go home now_?"

Oh. _But __Ralph's is just two miles from here. Why can't I hear you?_

Silence.

_Max?_

Silence.

Something's wrong. Are my abilities gone?

"Come home!"

"_Calm down. Wait for me, Alex."_ Max soothed. _"I'm sorry, I have to leave."_

My sobbing stopped but the tears were still flowing. He told someone that he had to leave. He's with someone.

"Who are you with?" I couldn't help but raise my voice.

"_Calm down, baby girl."_

"Don't 'baby girl' me, Max! _Who are you with_?"

I felt a sudden urge to destroy the remaining good part of our poor sitting room. All my senses ceased to function and all I could feel was blood lust.

How could Max do this to me? He left me alone just to meet up with someone? On ordinary circumstances, Max would have waited for me to wake up before going somewhere. And he would ask for my permission first - or at least, he will make sure that I was notified.

I took steadying breaths to relax. Max went out without my knowledge and my connection with him was absent. What the hell was going on? I was still a demigod, right? I can still hear from a distance. It's just telepathy that's not working.

Could I still have Edward's mind reading ability?

I tried to focus. I was not hearing anybody's thoughts within a hundred yards. The panic that gripped me earlier was starting to crawl on me again. My head was buzzing with silence when I stopped and looked around our home.

I'm awake, right? But I couldn't just pinch myself to see if I was dreaming. That wouldn't work.

I spotted a calendar that Max crosses out everyday to mark our infinite age. It's a Saturday. Maybe that's why I can't hear our neighbors. Just their dogs and cats were left home, howling and mewing. They're all out - just like Max.

What? It's _Saturday_? That's how long I've been moping around like a zombie?

I sighed and tried again.

I was starting to get more frustrated when I heard the first thought, two hundred and fifteen yards away. Mr. Madison was contemplating on the menu for tomorrow night's family reunion. His only and beloved daughter and her husband would be visiting with their kids.

_They're visiting for the first time_ - his mind quickly became out of focus. He thought of Dr. Jameson's diagnosis. He laughed humorlessly. _It may well be the last time we would see each other_. Although he didn't know if he had the strength to tell his daughter that he was dying of cancer soon.

I automatically thought of Anastasia. I would have been able to persuade Max to let her heal Mr. Madison. The poor old man has always been so kind and polite.

I shook my head. Max was just two miles away. He was moving fast but he was not passing through the woods. He was on the highway: driving. I bolted out of the backdoor to the garage. The car wasn't there.

I was on my way to go to the front door when I heard a muffled laughter after Max spoke. Female. So, Max was meeting up with a girl, huh? And he dares to bring her with him?

"_I'm thirsty. I suppose you have _stored _blood in your home, right?"_

My breathing caught but this time due to excitement. I'd know that voice form anywhere, especially her accent and her teasing tone. The relief was overwhelming.

"Valentina!" I exclaimed.

"_Hello, Alexandra_," she greeted. They were just a quarter of a mile away. "_It's been so long. I've missed you so much, I had to visit. Maximillian here was supposed to pick me up at the airport later in the afternoon, but I was presented an... _opportunity_ to get on an earlier flight. And I was so excited to see you." _

Hang on. There's a few more scents in the car. Two more vampires.

"_Alice_? _Bella_?"

"_Yeah, it's us."_ Bella said shyly as Max pulled over in front of the house.

"_Did we surprise you?"_ Alice said, already out of the car. The other three were slamming their sides' doors in the next second. "_The guys are out, so we girls are going to have some fun._" Alice laughed, and then added, "_Well, almost all the guys are out."_

I was dumbstruck. I hadn't moved from where I was frozen so much as a millionth of an inch. Valentina, and Alice and Bella were with Max. What was Max thinking, bringing Valentina here in our home town - with our human friends - and meeting up (without me) with stranger vampires? What had happened during the last few days when I was in a stupor that has changed everything so much?

Through Max's eyes, I was able to see Alice smile at him sweetly, and elbow him on the ribs.

"Oh!" I was able to read Max's mind again!

The door opened and Max and the others went in. I sighed heavily when I saw Max's face. I was so relieved that he was back. I closed my eyes to keep me from crying. I thought that I had already died and my hell is that Max nor Anastasia were not there with me.

Max was in front of me when I opened my eyes, his hands on my shoulders. "I'm so sorry I put you through all that, Alex. I left in a hurry to pick Valentina up." _And you know how she is when she gets bored... Hey, how long were you not able to contact me?_

_Since I woke up. That's about five minutes ago._

_Huh. So that's why I wasn't able to hear you earlier. I had been checking every ten seconds to see if you're already up._

He hugged me tight then faced our vampire visitors. "Bella and Alice met up with us in Ralph's. Well, actually, they were more like, waiting for me and Valentina to pass by."

_We'll talk later about that. It's your time to wait._

Max laughed. _Of course, baby girl. I'm sorry._

"Valya, what brings you to this side of the world?" I asked, cutting off what Alice was going to say. Alice was thinking of commenting that she was thankful that finally her vision of coming in to our home in a friendly manner had come true.

Valentina can't know that Max and I just met the Cullens. If she finds out that they mean little to us, and gets so much as a whiff that they are gifted vampires, she might challenge them all to a duel. She seeks out strong vampires to fight – and kill. Of course, she will win against the Cullens. Valentina has never lost a battle in her twenty five hundred years - aside from us. Max just had to order her not to use her skill - she was no match for us without it.

"I just miss you. And it has been a very awful ten years without you. I had to come here sooner or later." _And I totally screwed up_. She smiled shyly, but an evil hint was somewhere in her eyes.

_Max? How much have you told her?_

_We haven't gotten around to talking much when you called me. We arrived a minute ago that. I have just been able to introduce the new local vampires to Valya._

All right. She doesn't know about their abilities then.

"What's wrong, Valya? You never smile like that unless – what did you do this time?" My eyes grew larger. I knew that this would happen. An accidental addition to the English coven.

She didn't speak. But of course, she didn't need to. I was able to recall the vision I had while in class last Monday. I could see Valentina, draining her pretty prey but not finishing off. Valentina rushed away from the scene - carrying the almost drained body of her kill - as if running from something.

"_Valentina_?" I still had to ask her. She can't know that I have new abilities now. She would realize that I got it from the vampires we met within the last fifteen years. And in that period, we haven't met anyone else besides the Cullens – those who lived, anyway. We can't lie to her. The Winchester coven is our extended family. And even without Helena's lie detection, we also want to keep our family informed about pretty much every vampire episode in our existence.

Not about the Cullens, though, right? I asked myself.

But why do I feel so... what? Protective? I still can't figure it out. But it has to do with something that still hasn't happened yet, I'm sure. Nothing in the past and present could suggest that I would be so much as interested in their welfare. I even hate them for ruining our peaceful life.

"Oh, all right. If you must _know_, I just had a _baby_."

"_What_? But you're a vampire!" Bella said, not minding in the slightest that she sounded very stupid. What was she thinking? She knows that vampires can't rear children.

Valentina raised her eyebrows at her as if to relay my own thoughts. "I _created_ a vampire." She told Bella then spoke to me directly again. "It was just an accident. There I was, minding my dinner when out of nowhere I sensed a couple of _shadows_."

"What? In Winchester?" Max cut in, shaking with fury.

"They managed to trace you there. I know, it's kind of _very_ good, for them," she side tracked when she saw me frown.

"We were able to catch the guards when they foolishly followed me. Of course, they will come home to their masters empty handed because Anaphi wiped their memories out about anything that would lead them to you - or us. Brion let them go but not before Helena and Kurt had a go at them. They looked like they would cry if they could, the poor _babies_. Brion said he would just let your pals decide how they would punish their spies. Hayden also left them with false memories - like they went to the Bahamas and hooked up with humans before feeding on them like mad and dumping the bodies in a residential area." She smirked then added, "That should work _Caius_ up."

"Caius? _Caius_ of the Volturi?" Bella pronounced every word with fear and hatred.

"Who else? How many _Caiuses_ do you know? I bet he'd have killed every human or vampire or any creature at all who had the same name as his and his brothers." Valentina continued with a snort. "I'm surprised you even know the Volturi. You don't seem the kind that's _in the know_, as what young humans say."

I'm sure Valentina's comment hit a nerve. Bella's eyes narrowed. A growl was starting to bubble in her throat and she was about to say something, but Alice beat her to it.

"We went to visit Aro in Italy about six years ago. Aro claims that our father is his friend. Bella here was still human that time. We gave him invitation to her and my brother's wedding that took place about two years after our visit." She smiled, reminiscent, as if their brief spell in the Volturi's lair had been all but horrifying.

"Oh, that's good for _you_, then." Valentina said, clearly not meaning that it was good for them at all. Valentina was already scheming on the best ways to trick Alice and Bella to reveal where Carlisle was so she could hunt him down to interrogate and eventually kill him if he doesn't talk.

She turned to me again. "Wait, do you think the Volturi would get mad if we kill your new friends' father?"

"_Valentina_," Max warned.

"_Or," _Valentina rolled her eyes_, "_you could just ask their father about your _pals_, Alexandra."

"Yes, I was planning to do that, too, Valya. But what could they tell me that we don't know yet, right? I can't be sure. Also, the circumstances these past few days -"

"You mean when you had been under some _stupid_ trance, Lexi?"

"Well, _yes_, Valentina." I snapped, "I meant exactly _that_."

Valentina became whiter - if that were possible. "I _am_ sorry. Don't bite my head off..?"

That caught me off guard. I turned to Max. _Was I -?_

He nodded.

I looked down at my hands. My nails were digging into my palms, and there were droplets of blood on the floor. I wasn't aware that my temper had flared up.

I know that I have told her pointedly not to call me that nickname, but I haven't ever reacted like this. Valentina is like a sister to me and I considered attacking her just because I hated being called _Lexi_.

There is something wrong with me. My emotions were all over the place like a roller coaster ride and I lost – even for a few minutes only – our infallible telepathic link. And I couldn't think of anyone else to blame but the Cullens.

I stared at my blood for a long second - too long. I felt my eyes quickly becoming vacant - my first vision since I woke up.

Aro was sitting on his throne in a platform on the north side of their high-ceilinged chambers. On his sides, on their respective seats, were Marcus and Caius. They were looking down at two heaps of rags in the middle of the hall. No other vampires were present aside from the two who were a few feet in front of the brothers. The two young guards were wearing darker shades of cloaks than those crumpled on the floor. One of them, the little girl whose hood was not pulled over her blonde head, smiled in an angelic but sinister way.

The rags moved as soon as her lips twisted up. I realized that they were not rags at all. They were the guards that the Volturi sent to search for us - the ones Valentina was talking about earlier.

The guards were being punished indeed. The they both writhed in pain, as the little vampire continued to smile.

Aro shifted in his seat. "That would be enough, dear Jane." He bowed his head then continued in a sorrowful voice. "It seems that they are not as dedicated to our cause as they pledged when they joined our family."

"No, master, _please_. Have mercy on us," said the first guard.

"Please give us another chance," pleaded the other.

"Do you not remember that this is already your 'another chance,' Basil? Lucius?" Caius said, pointing a chalky, slender finger at the weak guards. "Jane!"

The little vampire girl nodded enthusiastically then smirked at Basil and Lucius. They both trampled on the floor, screaming.

"You should have expected nothing less than this when you decided that you no longer wish to comply with the orders given to you."

"Brother, that will do." Aro stretched a hand to reach Caius. "They have suffered long enough."

"All right, I agree." Caius clapped his hands twice. Four gray cloaked vampires suddenly appeared on either sides of the still shaking Basil and Lucius, and pinned them to the ground. Basil's pleas were still echoing in the chamber even after Caius got off his throne and set their guards on fire.

* * *

**A/N - WIP (Work In Progress)**

Chapter's too short. Will have to add more school scens and Valentina's _snarky_ responses that almost _always_ earns her a growl or two from Alex and Max.

Alex will learn more about the Cullen gifts and how to better control those that she's already absorbed, while Edward will discover the deep connection between Alex and Max.

A little more about Anastasia and her relationship with Alex and Max will be revealed.

*sigh* It'll all come to you, Blair. Just hang on. =^_^=


End file.
